Yet Another Addition to the Museum

The Coker Tire museum continues to grow, and we don’t plan to slow down any time soon. Why would we stop when it’s so much fun to dig up these pieces of automotive history? New additions are quite common, and this very rare Pierce motorcycle is one of the most recent artifacts to enter the facility. And when we say rare, we mean it. There aren’t many of these Pierce motorcycles left, and the interesting design is definitely worth a quick history lesson.

You may have heard of the Pierce Great Arrow Motor Car Company, founded by George Pierce, but lots of folks don’t know that he also founded the Pierce Cycle Company. George’s son, Percy played a large role in the motorcycle business and developed a unique motorcycle. With a steep price tag, compared to other cycles of the time, Pierce didn’t sell many units, which is one of the factors in the cycle company’s bankruptcy in 1914.

The new addition to the Coker museum is a 1910 Pierce Four, which features an inline T-head four cylinder engine coming in at 696cc. It produced 7 horsepower and sends power to the rear wheel with a multi-disc clutch system and a two-speed transmission. The most interesting aspect to the Pierce motorcycle is its frame, which is made of 18-gauge steel and measures 3.5 inches in diameter. The Keystone system was applied in the design, which means the engine acts as part of the frame structure. The frame tubes are copper plated on the inside to prevent corrosion, as the tubes actually double as the gas and oil tanks. The top tube holds seven quarts of gasoline and the down tube holds five pints of oil. Is that cool or what?

Class is over, so get back to work on your project car or motorcycle. Spring time is just around the corner, so you don’t want to miss out on any opportunities to get out and drive!

Geoff

Wow, now that is awesome!

Bill Wilkens

Thank goodness for people like Corky. That motorcycle find is outrageous! I wish I had a job like that.(actually in this day and age any job’ll do) I’d love to see the whole museum. Keep up the good work!

josh thompson

I remember seeing that bike so many times over the years. I remember also a few years back a fellow co-worker had seen that bike and said that he was gonna steal it. So later that night after everyone left, Gordon took the bike and hid it under a stack of motorcycle innertubes and led everyone to believe that he had taken it out of the shop all together. and there it sat for many years. I am so glad that someone who appreciates the timeless beauty of this “True classic” motorcycle has taken it to a “good home”. Good job Corky!!! I would very much like to see this bike once you have fully restored it i would also like to know if there is any possible way to get some pics of the restoration prossess and the finished product. I know Michael (Gordons grandson) would love that also!!!